Allison R. Miller's Books

Kingly Splendor

Court Art and Materiality in Han China

By: Allison R. Miller

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Kingly Splendor

Court Art and Materiality in Han China

By: Allison R. Miller

The Western Han dynasty (202 BCE–9 CE) was a foundational period for the artistic culture of ancient China, a fact particularly visible in the era’s funerary art. Iconic forms of Chinese art such as dazzling suits of jade; cavernous, rock-cut mountain tombs; fancifully ornate wall paintings; and armies of miniature terracotta warriors were prepared for the tombs of the elite during this period. Many of the finest objects of the Western Han have been excavated from the tombs of kings, who administered local provinces on behalf of the emperors. Allison R. Miller paints a new picture of elite art production by revealing the contributions of the kings to Western Han artistic culture. She demonstrates that the kings were not mere imitators of the imperial court but rather innovators, employing local materials and workshops and experimenting with new techniques to challenge the artistic hegemony of the imperial house. Tombs and funerary art, Miller contends, functioned as an important vehicle of political expression as kings strove to persuade the population and other elites of their legitimacy. Through case studies of five genres of royal art, Miller argues that the political structure of the early Western Han, with the emperor as one ruler among peers, benefited artistic production and innovation. Kingly Splendor brings together close readings of funerary art and architecture with nuanced analyses of political and institutional dynamics to provide an interdisciplinary revisionist history of the early Western Han.

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Page Count

655

Publisher

Columbia University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0231551746

ISBN 13

9780231551748

Encountering Mystery

Religious Experience in a Secular Age

By: Dale C. Allison

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Encountering Mystery

Religious Experience in a Secular Age

By: Dale C. Allison

Despite widespread skepticism on the matter, a significant number of people today have stories of religious experience—moments of inexplicable terror or rapturous joy, visions, near-death experiences of the afterlife, encounters with angels, heavenly voices, and premonitions. How should rationally minded people respond? What would your reaction be if someone told you that, one night while sitting alone, she saw through the window a brilliant light descend from the sky until it was so large that it filled the room—and that it radiated a feeling of “pure love”? And what would you say if a friend confided that one night he woke up and could not move, felt he was being suffocated, and sensed an evil spirit in the room? By default in the secular age we are skeptical about anything mysterious or supernatural. More likely than not, most people would respond to the stories above with embarrassment and concern about the person’s grasp of reality, or they would attempt to explain them away through rational or scientific means. But the truth is that religious experiences like these are not as uncommon as they seem—although talking about such experiences often is. This is the case even in a faith tradition such as Christianity, despite the Bible’s numerous accounts of miraculous and mysterious happenings. In Encountering Mystery, noted biblical scholar Dale Allison makes the argument that stories of religious experience are meaningful and not to be marginalized—and that we have a moral prerogative to lovingly engage with such stories regardless of whether we have had similar experiences. Through a close look at phenomena such as moments of inexplicable terror or rapturous joy, visions, near-death experiences of the afterlife, encounters with angels, heavenly voices, and premonitions, Allison shows how ordinary practices of faith need not be at odds with individual religious experiences. Above all, he enjoins us to be honest about the persistence of religious experience in a secular age and to make space for those who encounter mystery in their lives.

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Page Count

280

Publisher

Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing

Published Date

ISBN 10

1467464341

ISBN 13

9781467464345

Children of Reunion

Vietnamese Adoptions and the Politics of Family Migrations

By: Allison Varzally

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Children of Reunion

Vietnamese Adoptions and the Politics of Family Migrations

By: Allison Varzally

In 1961, the U.S. government established the first formalized provisions for intercountry adoption just as it was expanding America's involvement with Vietnam. Adoption became an increasingly important portal of entry into American society for Vietnamese and Amerasian children, raising questions about the United States' obligations to refugees and the nature of the family during an era of heightened anxiety about U.S. global interventions. Whether adopting or favoring the migration of multiracial individuals, Americans believed their norms and material comforts would salve the wounds of a divisive war. However, Vietnamese migrants challenged these efforts of reconciliation. As Allison Varzally details in this book, a desire to redeem defeat in Vietnam, faith in the nuclear family, and commitment to capitalism guided American efforts on behalf of Vietnamese youths. By tracing the stories of Vietnamese migrants, however, Varzally reveals that while many had accepted separations as a painful strategy for survival in the midst of war, most sought, and some eventually found, reunion with their kin. This book makes clear the role of adult adoptees in Vietnamese and American debates about the forms, privileges, and duties of families, and places Vietnamese children at the center of American and Vietnamese efforts to assign responsibility and find peace in the aftermath of conflict.

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Page Count

223

Publisher

UNC Press Books

Published Date

ISBN 10

1469630923

ISBN 13

9781469630922

American Diplomats in Russia

Case Studies in Orphan Diplomacy, 1916-1919

By: William T. Allison

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American Diplomats in Russia

Case Studies in Orphan Diplomacy, 1916-1919

By: William T. Allison

Anti-Bolshevism, the Allied war effort, German domination, American hegemony—these issues and many more occupied the daily activities of American diplomats in revolutionary Russia. Left with little instruction from Washington and often exposed to danger, the American diplomats took it upon themselves to deal with the chaotic situation. In this unique study, Allison looks at the careers of specific diplomats and at their personal and political agendas, showing how their prejudices often biased their judgment and influenced their actions.

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Page Count

212

Publisher

Praeger

Published Date

ISBN 10

0275958639

ISBN 13

9780275958633

Book's by Allison R. Miller

Kingly Splendor

Kingly Splendor

Encountering Mystery

Encountering Mystery

Children of Reunion

Children of Reunion

American Diplomats in Russia

American Diplomats in Russia

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